The Veteran's total blindness in his right eye was reasonably foreseeable and not due to carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill or error in judgement on the part of VA. Therefore, compensation pursuant to 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for total blindness in the right eye is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's blindness in his right eye was a reasonably foreseeable outcome of the surgical procedure and not due to carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill or error in judgement on the part of VA.
- Claimed conditions
- total blindness in the right eye
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 25, 2020
- Citation
- 20056041
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20056041.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 is remanded due to the need for an addendum opinion from an ophthalmologist regarding whether his right eye blindness was caused by VA medical treatment and if so, whether it was due to carelessness or negligence.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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